Bahrain is moving forward with the second phase of the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (SJAS) Highway upgrade project, with two bids submitted for pre-contract engineering consultancy services.

AECOM Middle East and Parsons Global Services have submitted proposals in response to a request for proposals (RFP). 

The tender was opened on 24 April 2025.  Both bids have been accepted for evaluation but financial details were not disclosed.

The consultancy scope includes revising approved designs to reflect updated area plans and ensuring at least five lanes in each direction where possible. The plan also requires maintaining a minimum of two lanes at junctions and service roads, updating utility corridors, and overhauling the stormwater drainage system to accommodate current rainfall patterns. Final contract drawings and tender documentation will also be prepared for contractor appointment.

The project is supported by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), which signed a 10 million Kuwaiti dinars (approximately $32.4 million) loan agreement with Bahrain’s government to fund the upgrade, Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA said in a March 2025 report.  The total cost of the upgrade is estimated at $404.4 million, with KFAED financing about 8 percent.

(Writing by Deva Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com) 

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